Everyone Has Demons
by Perfectly-Imperfect1996
Summary: When Derek finds Ava Bates passed out on the side of the road he doesn't know why but he has to save her. But she's more than just your average damsel in distress, she's something no one but Dr. Deaton has seen before. Ava and her 300 years worth of baggage are stuck living with Derek until someone figures out what's wrong with her. Derek/OC & Isaac/OC
1. Chapter 1

**AvaPOV**

I walked up to the doors of a warehouse, I could hear the music pounding inside and I knew I'd found the right place. I always knew where the parties were, that was where the energy was highest. It wasn't hard to get in even if I didn't have a ticket. All I had to do was bat my eye lashes at the door guys and they'd do whatever I wanted them to. I could do my thing wherever I wanted but parties always worked best, just being inside almost made me feel better, the energy was tangible. Sure I could walk up to a guy on the street and kiss him but that was going to make people stare, in a big rave that sort of thing was almost expected.

I danced my way through the crowd looking for the perfect guy. The first person to catch my attention was a nerdy guy who was trying to dance with a girl who was way out of his league. She wasn't the only one here who was way out of his league but that would make this easy, I danced towards him and with a bat of my eyelashes he'd forgotten all about the girl he'd been trying to chase. "What's your name?" He asked trying to yell over the music. I pretended I couldn't hear him and kissed him instead. After only a few seconds his energy had given me a boost. I pulled away and disappeared into the crowd, now that practice was over it was time for the real deal.

I found victim number two in less than a minute. Curly brown hair, tan, looked pretty athletic and full of life. "Hi," I said walking up to him. I twirled a piece of hair around my finger and tried to look innocent.

"Hey," he said. He was on edge about something I could tell and I was reconsidering this one.

"Scott, can I talk to you for a second?" A girl asked pulling him away and giving me one of those looks that said she was the possessive girlfriend. That was probably for the best, if I fed of that one I'd be jittery for the rest of the night. Bad energy equaled bad dinner. Who was next? I spotted a tall guy a few feet away, he looked strangely calm for a guy in the middle of a party but he looked healthy and he was definitely cute. I danced up to him and he responded my tugging me closer to him but he never lost that creepily calm look. It was a little unnerving but damn was I hungry. I kissed him until I felt like I'd gotten enough energy. I would've stayed longer but his lack of emotion was seriously creeping me out. One more guy and I'd be done. I didn't want to hang around here any longer that I had to, after 300 years one starts to get tired of teenagers.

I didn't even have to pick the last one, a felt a hand grab my shoulder and I followed that arm to a nice enough face to look at, well he wouldn't be that bad to kiss. Third time's the charm right? And this one had amazing energy; he was like drinking a Monster after only having water. "Isaac, would you come on?" A girl snapped.

"Sorry, have to go," he said smirking.

"Wait I-" before I could even finish saying anything he'd disappeared with the blonde. What was I going to say anyways? Come back I need to kiss you some more cause I feed off people's energy and man you have great energy! Yeah that sounded like something a normal person said. That was enough I needed to get out of there. I walked out past the door guys from earlier and across the parking lot. I had made it a few blocks down the street when I started feeling lightheaded, I kept walking until everything around me started going black. And then I collapsed in the middle of the road.

"Hey! Are you ok?" A voice called. I couldn't tell where it was coming from or how long I'd been lying on the pavement. I tried to mumble and answer but nothing came out. I felt arms go around me and I was lifted off the ground.

OoOoO

When I came to again I was being carried into a building. "Derek, back so soon? What happened?"

"I found her on the side of the road; I don't know what happened to her," the voice from earlier said, Derek I guess.

"I'm a vet not a doctor, I don't know what you expect me to do," the other voice said.

"She's not human, look at her." I felt myself being sat down on a table or something, it wasn't very comfortable.

"I see. I'm a little surprised you brought her here. I wouldn't have thought you'd be the kind to save the damsel in distress."

"If I had left her there she might have died or the Argent's might have found her," Derek said.

"Right, of course." He sounded a little disbelieving.

"What is she and what's wrong with her?" Derek asked getting back on track.

"Well your first question is easy, she's a succubus." There was a silence. "A female demon who feeds on the life force of others," he clarified. "Now from the looks of things she hasn't fed in a while. You can tell by the way her veins are dark, like they've dried out."

"Are succubus dangerous?"

"Not particularly. They tend to travel alone and they know how to control their urges, it's very rare that a succubus would kill anyone. They take on the emotion of their victims when they take their energy and if a person were to die then that would often kill or seriously injure the drainer." I felt a needle go into my arm and a few seconds later I began to feel a little better. "There now, are you finally awake?"

"I did feed," I said. I tried to sit up but I was still a little weak.

"The adrenaline should kick in soon and you'll be feeling good as new," the vet told me.

"I feed," I repeated.

"Did you kill someone?" Derek asked accusingly.

"No I didn't kill anyone!" I snapped sitting all the way up. "I'm not stupid."

"Calm down, Derek. Now, what's your name?"

"Ava Bates," I said.

"It's nice to meet you Ava, I'm Dr. Deaton. It's a good thing Derek brought you here when he did."

"How do I know he wasn't the one who did something to me? He could've poisoned me at the party and then followed me when I left," I accused.

"Yeah, I drugged you only to find you on the street and take you to the vet to save your life," Derek said annoyed.

"Who knows, you seem like a creep," I said calmly.

"Ava, I really don't think Derek had anything to do with this," Dr. Deaton said. "What can you tell me about the people you fed on tonight?"

"Um the first guy was a nerd; he was just my warm up. Then I was trying to get to another guy, Scott maybe, but his girlfriend pulled him away before I got the chance. After him this really creepy guy that had no emotion the entire time I was there, it was freaky. Almost like he was a zombie or something?"

"That sounds like the way Jackson has been acting," Derek said.

"Why's he acting like that?" I asked.

"He is a kanima; it's a lizard like creature. Derek was at the warehouse trying to capture him tonight. Was there anyone else?" Dr. Deaton asked.

"Oh there was another guy. He had the most amazing energy; um this girl said his name but I can't remember I was too focused."

"Do you think it could have to do with the kanima?" Derek asked.

"That would make the most sense," Dr. Deaton said. "Give me some time to research more about this. For now take these," he handed me a bag with several bottles of Epinephrine and a syringe. "Take this if you start feeling fatigued again."

"Can't I just feed again?" I asked.

"We don't know what caused that reaction, until we figure out why you passed out its best if you don't feed."

I sighed. "Fine. No feeding, take adrenaline. Can I go now?"

"You should stay with Derek tonight."

"No way!" I said.

"It's the safest place, there are hunters here and if they catch wind of any kind of supernatural you'll be on their list."

"He's a creep."

"He's just intense," Dr. Deaton assured me. "The faster you leave, the faster I can figure out what's happening to you, the faster you can get away from Derek and be on your way."

"Fine." I got up and grabbed my case of adrenaline shots and followed Derek out to his car. He opened the passenger door for me and I got in without a word. I turned the radio on and we drove without speaking to each other.

"Are you going to ignore me forever?" Derek asked after the fifth song.

"That was the plan."

"I'm sorry if it's a crime to save someone's life," Derek said. "I'll remember not to do it next time."

"Thanks, ok? Is that what you wanted?"

"You're just really determined to be a bitch aren't you?"

There was silence again as I stared out the window unsure of what to say. Finally I turned off the radio. "Sorry. I don't do the whole people thing. I don't really even remember the last time I ever actually had a real conversation with someone, like 20 years or something."

"20 years?" He asked.

"Not since my sister died. She was the one who wanted to fit in, she wanted to stay in one place and go to high school for the 30th time, make friends and be normal. In case you were wondering, succubi don't age. It's really hard to stay in one place when you're like me. People always start to talk. Or you run out of food, it's bad to feed off someone more than once unless you wait a long time in between. Humans are really fragile. Brooke really loved people though." I trailed off and looked out the window again.

"I'm sorry about your sister," Derek said after a long pause. "My family was killed in a fire a few years ago."

"It really sucks losing your family doesn't it?"

"We're here," Derek said. I got out of the car and followed Derek inside a big building.

"You live in a train warehouse?" I asked skeptically. "That isn't exactly helping you seem any less like a creep."

"When I first moved back to Beacon Hills I lived in the house where the fire was."

"You seriously need a better real estate agent. You know it's pretty cold in here." He handed me a jacket and I put it on, it smelt surprisingly good and I tried to covertly smell it without it seeming like I was the creep. "So, what are you?"

"What?" He asked.

"Well obviously you aren't human either."

"I'm a werewolf."

"No way! I'd heard about them but I never really thought they were real. Do you have a pack or something?"

"I'm the alpha."

"Oh so you're pretty cool then, huh?"

He laughed. "I try."

"I can tell you seem like the guy that acts all tough. What's that thing? Tall, dark and mysterious?"

"I think it's tall, dark and handsome."

"Yeah, well I don't know about that last part. Mysterious works fine." I tried not to blush but I was pretty sure it happened anyways. I couldn't remember the last time I had actually flirted with anyone. Seducing guys on the dance floor really doesn't count.

"And who says I'm not tough?" He asked. He growled and his face went all werewolf.

"Oh well that's cute," I said sarcastically. He shifted back and laughed. "That really was not at all how I expected a werewolf to look."

"You expected a real wolf didn't you? Typical."

"Yeah we'll at least a real wolf is cute. That thing looks like, well I really don't know what that looked like but it wasn't cute. So can I ask you something?"

"I have a feeling you'd ask anyways."

"Why did you save me?"

"To be honest I really don't know. I knew I had to stop and help you."

"Maybe there's more prince charming to you that anyone thinks." I yawned. "Where do you sleep? This is such a weird living arrangement. I bet there's a diagnosis for serial killers that live in train warehouses."

"Would you stop making fun of me?" Derek asked.

"I'll think about it, but don't get your hopes up." This was going to be weird, but maybe not as bad as I thought at first. Maybe it was time that I started mainstreaming again. It would be nice to have a friend again, even if that friend was a creepy werewolf.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, wake up." I cracked an eye open to look at the voice. "I brought you breakfast." Derek handed me a very full plastic bag. I peered inside it and saw piles of Poptarts, convince store brand muffins, granola bars and sever different kinds of juice bottles.

"What did you do rob a Quik Mart or something?"

"I didn't know what you'd want," he said, shrugging. I opened one of the Poptarts and took a nibble, ew weird berry flavor. "You do eat right? I didn't even think about you not eating."

"Yeah I eat; I mean food still tastes good, I just don't need it." I opened one of the granola bars next; it tasted better than the Poptart. "You could have just let me go grab my own breakfast."

"Dr. Deaton said he didn't want you leaving here."

"No, he said he wanted me to stay here last night. Now last night is over and as soon as I call him to figure out what he learned, I'm leaving."

"Already?" He asked and I swear he sounded a little bit disappointed.

"Yes, already. I've already stayed here longer than I've ever stayed anywhere else. You know my kind are much less prone to slip ups, the only label we ever get branded with is slut. Well except during the Salem witch trials…But I managed to miss those."

"How old are you?"

"Uhm 300 years give or take a few. You stop counting after the first century or so. You have to admit I look pretty good for my age."

"You look like you're in high school," Derek said.

"Yeah I get that a lot, back in the day that was considered an adult. But watch-" I focused my energy and when I opened my eyes Derek was staring at me funny. "Yeah, see I can pretty much look like whatever I want to. This was the 'mom' look for when Brooke got in trouble and I needed to bail her out. She was always getting in trouble and I always had to pretend I was our mother." I trailed off and lost concentration letting the disguise fell away.

"How did she die?"

I laughed humorlessly. "She fell in love. We were trying to mainstream then and she met a guy and they started dating, but every time she kissed him she'd drain his energy. I'm not sure if she really understood what was happening, we'd never seen anyone killed by our kind before. When he died she got really sick and it wasn't long before she died too."

"Can't you kiss someone without feeding off them?" Derek asked.

"I don't know, I've never tried."

"You mean you've never kissed anyone just because you wanted to?"

"No. I never even liked anyone enough to think about it. Part of being nomadic, you don't really get to know people. Which is precisely why I should get going." I picked up Derek's phone and called Dr. Deaton. "Did you figure anything out about why I fainted?"

"These books are taking more time to translate that I would've hoped. Call me tonight and I should have something," he said. I hung up and sighed.

"No luck?" Derek asked though he didn't seem that bummed to be stuck with me for a while longer.

"No."

"The rest of my wolves are coming over, it's their first full moon."

"I don't plan on being here till nightfall. I'm going to go into town, maybe I'll find some real food or something."

OoOoO

Turns out I was still there at nightfall. I tried calling Dr. Deaton over and over but he didn't return any of my calls. I leaned against one of the pillars in the train warehouse while I waited for the other werewolves to show up. "So are all your wolves creeps like you, or is that just an alpha thing?" Derek didn't say anything. "Oh come on now you're ignoring me? That's not every nice." Before I could say anything else the door opened and three people walked in, I recognized two of them right away. "Oh my gosh you're the guy from the party!"

"You're the girl who kissed me," the guy said. The blonde rolled her eyes.

"So you've met," Derek said.

"Something like that." I shifted uncomfortably. I wasn't really sure why but I didn't like Derek knowing who I'd been kissing, even if I had only kissed him because I was hungry. Those kisses don't even mean anything. Hell, why do I even care about any of this? I'm leaving soon.

"I'm Isaac," party guy said introducing himself. "And that's Boyd and Erica."

"Ava."

"What's she doing here?" Erica asked Derek.

"She's staying here for a while," Derek said.

"I'm leaving tonight," I told them.

"If Dr. Deaton can figure out what's wrong with you."

"I was perfectly fine before coming here, I'm sure I'll be better if I leave again."

Derek didn't say anything but opened the box in front of him. Isaac was looking into the box and I couldn't help being a little curious. I stood up and walked over, printed in the lid was a triple spiral. "Triskelion," Boyd and I said at the same time.

"Creation, preservation, destruction. Angel, mortal and demon," I mumbled. I turned my wrist over where the same symbol was tattooed on my wrist. "Brooke and I had matching tattoos, we're Irish. It's a Celtic symbol. The three stages of life, you know…" I trailed off. The tattoo wasn't just something Brooke and I had decided to go get, it was our brand; the mark that we'd been required to get to warn people of what we were 300 years ago. Boyd launched into some description of the symbol and I just stared at the floor. "What's in there anyways?" I asked. He pulled out chains and all kinds of metal things I didn't recognize.

"It's the full moon, we have to be prepared."

"Isn't this a little intense?"

"You've never gone through a full moon with new werewolves. You don't know what to expect."

"Right." I kicked one of the empty juice bottles from earlier.

"Ava, if you aren't going to take this seriously, you need to leave. You'll get hurt and I-" he didn't finish his sentence but I knew where he was going, he didn't want me to get hurt. It was weird having someone actually be nice to you, even weirder when you'd been trying your hardest to push them away.

"Where should I go?" I asked.

"Find Scott and his friends. They're looking for Jackson," he said.

"The lizard guy?" I asked.

Derek nodded. "They're going to a birthday party or something; I trust you'll be able to find it."

"Parties are kind of my thing," I winked at Isaac as I turned away from Derek, Isaac smirked.

"Don't eat anyone!" Derek called after me.

"I don't eat people I-Fine!" I sighed as I left. Now if I could just remember where I'd parked my car last night.

OoOoO

An hour later I was in my Aston Martin Vanquish and driving towards the party. I had recently sold my old Ferrari which I hadn't liked in the slightest for way more than I thought anyone would ever pay for it. Now I had my lovely silver baby and some old car collector had my 1960s Ferrari.

The house wasn't hard to find, it was true I really did have a sixth sense for parties. All I had to do was follow where the energy was, it was like my very own echolocation or something. I parked and then walked up the street to the house. I could hear people in the back of the house and I went to ring the doorbell. The door opened and a teenage girl with red hair was on the other side. "If you're another one of Stiles's weird friends you can just leave now."

"Um no, Scott invited me," I said.

"Oh?"

"I'm a new student at Beacon Hills; I met him at the warehouse party the other night."

"Oh well in that case you can come in. Welcome to Beacon Hills, once you get past all the freaks this place is pretty nice. Have some punch." She offered me a glass off a tray she was carrying.

"Oh I'm fine, I'll get some later."

"Really it's fantastic, try some." She forced the glass into my hand. I took the cup but didn't drink any of it. She glared at me before turning and walking off. What was up with her? I went out back where everyone else was. I found Scott easily; he was the guy with the girlfriend.

"Hi, again," I said sitting down next to him and his friend.

"Oh I met you at the party last night, right?" Scott said turning towards me.

"Yeah, um Derek sent me to help you guys with Jackson."

"You know about Jackson?" Scott's friend asked. "Are you a werewolf too?"

"Um no, not a werewolf," I didn't offer any other explanation. "My name's Ava."

"Stiles," the friend told me. "How'd you meet Derek if you aren't another wolf?"

"Well, it's a long story." I looked across the pool where the red head was trying to hand out more punch. "What is her deal?"

"Oh that's Lydia, this is her party."

"She tried to force me to drink the punch; she got a little upset when I didn't want any."

"She's sort of the town nut case," Stiles said. "Thanks to us."

"There is so much I don't know about," I said shaking my head. "Hey, isn't that Jackson."

"Yeah, we have to watch him."

"So what's the deal with this kanima thing? I got that he's like a big lizard or something but is there anything else I should know?" I asked.

"He's being controlled by someone. People have been dying-" Scott was cut off by Stiles.

"Specifically people from the 2006 swim team."

"Right, whatever is happening it has something to do with water. The kanima doesn't like water either."

"So the person controlling him probably doesn't like water…I see where you're going with this. We'll there's a pool, why don't you just start tossing people in." Stiles and Scott looked at each other. "It was a joke. God, no one around here can take a joke. I think I'm going to try some of that punch after all."

"It's pretty good," Stiles said taking another drink from his glass. I got up and walked towards the drink fountain and grabbed a cup. I watched the party as I drink my punch. I saw Scott's girlfriend come downstairs looking pretty upset, and Stiles was staring off into space in another corner. Why was it that everyone in this town was so friggen weird? I gulped down another glass of punch.

"Ava," someone called. I turned around wondering who knew my name. Standing in front of me was a mirror image of myself. No it wasn't me it was Brooke, my twin.

"Brooke?" I asked unable to believe what I was seeing.

"Ava, does this outfit look ok?" She asked. She was looking past me and I realized it wasn't me she was talking to; it was a memory happening next to the pool in front of me.

"You always look great," The memory me said. I remembered this night; it was the night Brooke died.

"You have to say that, we're twins," Brooke said rolling her eyes.

"We may look the same but personality is nine-tenths of attraction and you have all the personality."

"You have plenty of friends," Brooke said fixing her hair in a mirror I couldn't see.

"I have friends that you practically force to hang out with me, that doesn't really count."

"We could stay through college, you know."

"That's only postponing the inevitable," Past-me said shaking her head.

"You just don't want to get to close because you'll miss them once they're gone."

"You're going to kill that boy," Ava said quickly changing the subject. "You keep him out every night, you forget humans aren't immortal. One day they won't work anymore."

"What if…" Brooke trailed off.

"What if what?"

"Never mind, it's stupid."

"Brooke." She sighed and turned her wrist over and showed her Triskelion tattoo. "Creation, preservation, destruction. Yeah I know what the tattoo is for. What about it?"

"Angel, human, demon. The cycle of life. What if it was possible to go back?"

"What do you mean, go back?"

"I mean what if we could become human again?"

Ava was silent for a moment before shaking her head. "That's crazy."

"Yeah you're probably right." Brooke looked defeated and she turned away. Then suddenly she looked up at me, not the past me who had disappeared but the real present tense me. "Ava, there is a way. You don't have to be afraid of humans forever."

"Ava something's happened to me, I might be dying I don't know," I said.

"You aren't dying. Don't you see? This is what was supposed to happen! You're here!"

"I'm where? Brooke!" She disappeared as quickly as she'd shown up. Someone ran into me and I realized it was Lydia. "Lydia? Lydia, where are you going?" She didn't look back and I started looking around for Scott or Stiles. Conveniently no one was around. "Shit." I followed her out but when she got into her car I knew I was going to need some help. I got in my car and drove as fast as I could back to the train warehouse. I hadn't seen Lydia's car, though I'd noticed she'd turned the same direction as me a while back. "Derek!" I yelled getting out of the car. "Derek!"

"Are you ok? What happened?" Derek grabbed my arm and looked at me. "Were you crying?"

"I saw my sister-I don't really know what happened. Lydia, she left the party. There was something in the punch I think and-" I was having a hard time breathing.

"Did you take adrenaline today?"

"I forgot."

"Kiss me," Derek said.

"No!" I said shaking my head. He kissed me before I had the chance to argue anymore. For a second there was no energy exchange and it was like a real kiss, I could almost pretend I was a normal teenage girl, but then it happened and I realized Derek had the same amazing energy Isaac had. I pushed him away, "I can't." Derek wasn't look at me though he was looking behind me, I turned around.

"Lydia?" I said confused. Derek pushed me behind him just as Lydia blew something in his face. He collapsed and I took a step back, everything starting to go fuzzy again just like it had done last night right before I collapsed.

OoOoO

When I woke up Isaac was standing over me with an empty needle. "Are you ok? I found this bag and I figured it was yours."

"I'm fine now, thanks." I looked around and realized someone was missing. "Where's Derek?"

"I thought he was out here with you."

I looked around and found Derek's phone next to the box with the spirals. I called Scott and waited until he picked up. "Where's Derek?"

"Ava?" Scott asked.

"Please tell me Derek's with you."

"No, I thought-"

"I passed out and when I woke up he was gone."

"Gone?"

"I kissed him and-Oh my god it's not the kanima. Scott you have to find Derek. Lydia was here and I think she drugged him or something. I have to go." I hung up and immediately dialed Dr. Deaton. "It's the werewolves."

"I was about to call and tell you that. I found a legend about succubi and werewolves, apparently the wolves are immune to a succubus kiss but not only that they also reverse the process and take energy from the succubus."

I held the phone away from my ear. "Isaac, after I kissed you did you feel tired or anything?"

"No, if anything I felt like I'd just gotten a shot of energy."

"Oh my god, that's just perfect." I put the phone back to my ear. "Is there any way to stop that from happening?"

"I'll look into it but your best bet is to stay away from kissing werewolves for now."

I was silent for a moment. "Derek is missing. I think Lydia did something."

"Can you be at my office in five minutes?"

"Yeah, yeah I'll be there." I hung up and stared at the phone.

"Go," Isaac told me.

I nodded. "Are you going to be alright here?"

"I'll be fine; I'll make sure the others don't get into any trouble."

I walked towards the door and then stopped and turned to face him. "Isaac?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For you know saving me and stuff."

"If you ever need saving again you know who to call," he said. I nodded and span back around and walked out.


	3. Chapter 3

I drove to the vet's office as fast as I could, probably breaking a few traffic laws but whatever. When I pulled out front Dr. Deaton met me at the car and got in the passenger seat. "What's going on? Do you know what happened to Derek?"

"I have an idea." He directed me where to go and fifteen minutes later we were pulling up outside a creepy old burned building, must be Derek's old house.

"How do you know this stuff?" I asked. He didn't answer and instead got out of my car and started walking up to the house. I followed him into what had at one time probably been the living room. It wasn't a totally unattractive house; it had probably looked really nice before the fire. I just wasn't a fan of old houses anyways, they reminded me of home, and I'd prefer to live in a modern city apartment. "Where are we going? Where's-" Then I noticed Derek on the ground next to a large hole and I dropped to my knees next to him. I listened to his breathing and sighed in relief when I realized he wasn't dead. "He's breathing, barely. What happened?"

I waited for an answer but once again Dr. Deaton ignored me. I wasn't sure what to do so I just sat there sort of holding Derek's head on my lap. Dr. Deaton pulled out a whistle like the kind you'd use for calling your dog and blew, I guess it worked cause Derek's eyes fluttered open. "Ava?" I jumped and let his head fall back on to the ground with a thud, he groaned.

"Sorry," I squeaked. I stood up and took a step away from him. He tried to stand up as well but fell backwards; I grabbed him before he hit the ground and helped him stand up. "Ugh, even for me with super strength, you're heavy."

"It's all this muscle," he said and flashed a smile.

I rolled my eyes. "He's definitely ok."

"You're going to be tired for a few hours," Dr. Deaton told Derek. Then he looked at me, "Did you kiss him?"

"Um yeah," I said. I looked at Derek but he was looking intently at the floor.

"Good, that extra energy from you is probably why he's recovering so quickly," Dr. Deaton said.

"What?" Derek asked confused.

"I've discovered that werewolves are the reason Ava fainted."

"Did it happen again?" Derek asked. Though he was still looking at Dr. Deaton.

"Yes, I passed out again. Isaac got me some adrenaline before anything bad happened though," I told him. "Not that you care," I mumbled. He looked at me finally.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, genuinely.

"It's whatever, you didn't know."

"Now back to the matter at hand," Dr. Deaton said reminding us that there were bigger problems than me and Derek's-whatever that was. Derek looked down at the hole and the floor.

"It really happened."

"What really happened?" I asked.

"Don't worry, you're still an alpha," Dr. Deaton told Derek.

"Where is he?" Derek asked.

"I wish I could tell you," the vet said shaking his head.

"Where is who?" I asked a little louder.

"How about you tell me why you're here and why you're helping me?" Derek asked.

"Helping your family used to be an important part of my life and helping you was something I promised your mother."

"Oh wow, you got an answer. That's nice, I feel so included. Can someone please tell me what the hell happened here?" I snapped. They both looked at me like they had conveniently forgotten I was there. For second I thought they were going to continue to ignore my questions but finally Dr. Deaton sighed and started to explain.

"Derek's uncle, the alpha before him, was killed a few months ago. Now, somehow he's been resurrected using Derek."

"I'm assuming that's not a good thing," I said. I could tell this was the very abridged version of this story but at least now I knew the who and the what. "And I guess Lydia had something to do with this too?"

"Yes, we know she was bit by Peter and that she didn't transform into a werewolf but we don't know what other effects the bite may have had on her."

"Well from the little bit I saw of her tonight I'd say she might be certifiably insane. Is there such thing as werewolf rabies?"

"Someone will need to keep an eye on Lydia but right now the priority is Peter."

"And the kanima," I said.

"Precisely, Scott is dealing with the situation as we speak. I believe he's found the master; it's only a matter of time before the situation is resolved. Then we need to deal with Peter, he's going to try to get into your head Derek, he'll want you to think that he's the only way to stop Gerard." I wanted to ask who Gerard was but I felt bad for interrupting again. "Don't trust him."

"I don't trust anyone," Derek said. Neither did I, but why then did I feel a little upset that Derek didn't trust me? It's not like I trusted him either. I'd spent 300 years running from the council and only once had I ever been found thanks to my lack of trust. I shook the memory from my head; I didn't want to think about the council, that would only lead to thinking about Brooke and I still hadn't recovered from the incident at the party.

"If you did, you might be the alpha you like to think you are," Dr. Deaton said. Where had I heard something like that before? Oh.

"_Brooke, please tell me he doesn't know what you are," I groaned. _

"_He might know what I am. Don't give me that look, Ava! I trust him!" Brooke assured me. _

"_How many times have I told you not to trust anyone? You know what mom warned us about." _

"_Oh yeah the stuffy high council is going to come chastise me for having a boyfriend," Brooke said rolling her eyes._

"_No, the council is going to _kill_ you because you aren't staying under the radar." _

"_I don't see what the big deal is, it's not like we kill people or anything. Ava, lighten up! Maybe if you actually trusted someone you might be able to be the person that you'd like people to think you are."_

"You need to find Scott as quickly as possible," Dr. Deaton was telling Derek. I had dropped out of the conversation for a moment but it was obvious neither of them had even noticed.

Derek nodded and started to leave. "I'm coming with you," I said.

"I thought you wanted to get out of this town as quick as possible?" Derek asked.

"Well if you're going to make a habit of almost dying then you might need me around to save you. We're even now by the way."

"Well don't get in the way," Derek said but he looked a tiny bit happier than his words let on.

OoOoO

A few minutes later we were pulling up outside of the police station. "How do you know they're here?" I asked.

"It's an alpha thing," Derek said. "Plus there's Stiles's car."

"Oh." I opened the door and started to get out but he held up a hand to stop me. "What?"

"Something's wrong, stay here. Don't come in yet, we might need you for back up."

"Um ok then," I mumbled but Derek was already gone. I sat in the car for twenty minutes waiting for something to happen. Another car pulled up a few spaces from me. I watched a middle aged woman get out and watched her walk up to the door unsure if I should try to stop her or not. Derek had been acting strange but maybe he was just being paranoid. Before I could make up my mind she had walked inside and closed the door. It was only moments later that a shot rang out and someone started screaming. I jumped out of the car and ran towards the door, last minute I ducked behind a bush though and tried to find a window I could look in but the glass was frosty and I could only make out shadows. From the voices I could hear in the lobby I could tell Scott was the one who had been shot. The woman who had walked in a few moments before was his mother. I didn't recognize the shooter's voice but that wasn't saying much because I barely knew anyone in Beacon Hills. They walked out of the lobby and I couldn't hear them any longer, even with my hearing that was better than a normal human's.

A few minutes later a black SUV pulled up outside the building and several people armed with lots of fancy looking weapons got out. I didn't recognize the men but I assumed they must be the hunters that Derek and Dr. Deaton had been talking about. Then the girl turned around and I realized that she was Scott's girlfriend. They opened fire on the building and I could hear glass breaking. I didn't know what else to do but run in the main doors, I wasn't about to sit outside and let the crazy hunters find me.

I sprinted through the building looking in as many rooms as I could until I finally found Derek and Stiles lying on the floor of one of the offices. "Are you two alright?" I asked. The building was beginning to fill up with smoke and I tried batting it away from my eyes so I could see them.

"Kanima vemon," Stiles grumbled. "Being paralyzed isn't fun."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see Scott next to me. "I'll grab Stiles," he said. He would leave the heaviest one to me. Luckily Derek was much less paralyzed than Stiles was and he just needed some help standing up.

"You're ok?" I asked. "Do you need some energy or something?"

"If the hunters are here having you possibly blackout is a bad idea," Derek said.

"Right, good point."

"You should have stayed out there."

"You told me you might need backup, sorry if I thought that hunters showing up with guns was a reason for me to back you up."

"Gerard will kill you just because we're friends. Not to mention what will happen if he finds out what you are."

"Friends," I murmured. Derek gave me a look and I shrugged. "But why would Gerard want me dead? I'm not dangerous or anything, I don't kill people. Who cares if I like hanging out with werewolves, honestly they'll probably be the death of me anyways so that'll just save him the trouble."

"Trust me, he won't care." He pulled me through another door. "Now be quiet, we need to catch Jackson by surprise." I followed Derek into the holding cell room; several people were already in here; Scott's mother, who was in the cell, and two guys, one of whom was unconsciousness. Derek went all wolfy just as I realized the kanima was in the doorway of the next room. They launched at each other and Derek managed to push the lizard against a table, but the kanima pushed back and sent Derek flying across the room. I threw myself in between them to give Derek a moment to recover and with my super strength I managed to toss the kanima across the room. He didn't even flinch and came back full force but at least Derek had a second to stand next to me. Derek jumped at the kanima and I grabbed a chair which I hurled at the lizard the moment I got the chance. Derek tried pushing the kanima off him with the chair but was sent flying over a desk. I got the kanima's attention again and, doing an Olympics worthy handspring, launched myself across the room and straight into the kanima knocking him down, we fought for a moment before I was knocked across the room and into a brick wall. I collapsed at the bottom feeling tired all of a sudden. The kanima looked at me and I was pretty sure I was about to, at the very least, be paralyzed when Scott ran in and grabbed the kanima from the bars and pulled him to the ground. I used that moment to get up and make my way to Derek.

"I'm fine," he told me before I could ask. "Come on let's get you out of here before you pass out." We started down the hall but I stopped when we heard voices behind us.

"Is that Scott?" I whispered. Derek nodded. I didn't recognize the other voice but it was obvious from Derek's expression that he did. "Who is that?" I mouthed silently. I tried to lean around the corner and look but Derek pulled me back.

"Gerard," Derek mouthed. My eyes widened in surprise. Scott the werewolf was working with the evil werewolf hunter? In what world did that possibly make sense? Scott walked by without noticing us. Derek grabbed me and pulled me out to my car. I got in and just sat there, still in shock.

"What?"

"I don't know."

"But we trust Scott right?" I asked.

"I thought we could." He rubbed his face. "I can't trust anyone."

"You can trust me," I said. It was so quiet that I could barely hear what I had said. He looked over at me. "Whatever happens, I can promise you I'm on your side and that you can trust me. I still don't know if I'm staying or going but you saved my life so unless you give me a reason not to trust you, well you have my trust." I took a breath before adding, "Don't screw it up."

He stared at me and for a split second I thought he was going to kiss me, until I realized what would happen if he did and I sat back in my seat ending the moment. "Yeah," he mumbled.


	4. Chapter 4

A whole week went by without much event. The pack was hiding out after the hunters had tried to attack them, and therefore I was too. Derek and I spent hours reading old books trying to find something that might help us with Jackson or Peter or even the hunters. A whole week and we barely spoke more than a word to each other. I don't know what I was hoping for but silence wasn't it. So when Isaac came into the creepy burned up house that afternoon I was glad to have a change. "Hey, Isaac," I said looking up from the giant leather bound book I was flipping through.

"Hey," he said. He was carrying a big brown paper bag and I wondered what was in it. Derek grunted but didn't say anything, I rolled my eyes in his general direction but of course he didn't notice. "Ava, do you want to take a walk with me?"

"Yeah, sounds great!" I grabbed my jacket from where I'd hung it on the railing. "Be back later," I called though I doubted Derek would even notice I was gone.

"Sounds like you two were having a great time in there," Isaac said.

"Oh just lovely." I rolled my eyes again. "He's said maybe three words two me this entire week and that was just something along the lines of 'pass that book'. What's in the bag?"

"You'll see." He smiled and I sighed. We kept walking through the woods for a while till I found a group of big flat rocks and he sat the bag down on one of them. I plopped on one of the rocks and he sat next to me. He started pulling things out of the bag as I watched, he sat a box with a bunny on it and I snatched it up immediately.

"No way! I love Annie's cheddar bunnies!" Next was a huge bag of Wale Tail tortilla chips and I gasped dropping the box back down on our makeshift table. The rest of the stuff was more delicious organic snacks and sweets that I loved and a huge bottle of chocolate almond milk. "Where did you get all of this stuff?"

"I went to Trader Joe's; I'd never been in there before. Is this stuff even good?" He looked suspiciously at my Whale Tail chips which I'd opened and was munching on already.

"It's amazing. It's all amazing. How did you even know I'd like this stuff?" I asked.

"I asked one of the cashiers what she liked and then all of this," he motioned to the pile of snack foods.

"You have to try everything it's all so good!" I handed him the box of cheddar bunnies. He laughed and I realized I probably looked like a pig here ripping into packages and stuffing my face; I blushed and sat down the bag of chips. "Thanks, this stuff is awesome. I could just kiss you!" I paused. "You know what I mean."

He nodded. "Hey, you aren't the only one that's been stuck eating Derek's convince store meals for a week. I figured if you liked this stuff, it must be pretty good. I mean you've been around for a while you should know what you're talking about."

I laughed, "Yeah, I guess I should." Isaac was watching me without saying anything. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, I was just thinking about how much you've gone through."

"I guess Derek told you guys about my sister." Isaac nodded. "I miss her, but it's been years. I guess you never really get over losing a family member. I mean…You've lost a lot of people too, you understand."

"It's like they never leave, no matter how long they've been gone. You always expect them to be there." He looked down for a moment before looking back at me. He shook his head and tried to smile but I could tell he didn't really want to talk about his family; I had to remember he was younger than me and he had lost people a lot more recently than I had. "I want to know more about you."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Um…what's your middle name?"

I laughed. "Really, anything you could have asked and that's what comes to mind? Anyways, I don't have one." He gave me a funny look. "I mean I guess Brooke and I could've given ourselves one when we changed our names but we'd never had one before so-"

"Wait you changed your name?" He asked.

"Yeah, I mean we had sixteenth century Irish names. They didn't really fit in with the modern times."

"What was your name?" He asked.

I sighed. "It's pronounced EE-fah. But it's spelled A-O-I-F-E. It's the Celtic version of modern day Eva, but I don't like the name Eva it reminds me of Eve which is like Adam and Eve and my family was Gaelic, so different Gods and Goddess you know. Brooke's name was Brighid, like Bridget. She tried going by Bridget for a little while but we both decided that Brooke fit her better. My mom's name was Máirín, like Maureen, and my dad's name was Fionntán. We had weird names I know."

"It's kinda cool though."

"Are you done asking me questions now?" I asked.

"Not even close. Earliest memory?"

"Getting my brand," I said without even having to think about it. "My tattoo," I clarified. "It wasn't really by choice." I flipped my wrist over and he looked at the Triskelion. Mine wasn't like Derek's; it was more delicate like leaves were folding out into spirals. "Way back then people knew a lot more about the supernatural and since Brooke and I were born succubi we were given the tattoo on our seventh birthday, that's the age when we had to start feeding on people's energy." We spent the next hour talking about everything from my favorite color, purple, to what kind of sodas I drink, none I don't understand soda.

"You don't understand soda? What does that even mean?" Isaac asked laughing.

"I mean I don't get the reason for carbonated water, it's weird."

"Do you drink tea, since you're from the UK?"

"That's so stereotypical, but yes."

"Favorite sport?" He asked.

"I used to be a gymnast," I said.

"Like competitively?"

"Yeah, I trained for years but I dropped out before the Olympics. After I won Worlds I decided I had an unfair advantage. Brooke was pissed, I think she was just upset because she'd never been any good and she wanted to live vicariously through me. Of course that was ages ago; training for normal athletes was a lot less vigorous. I probably wouldn't have such an advantage anymore."

"Favorite time period you lived in?"

"The roaring twenties! I loved being a flapper! I used to drink a lot more back then and speakeasies were my favorite place, I used to sing at them too sometimes. Brooke's favorite thing was the gangsters."

"Date any gangsters?"

"Me? No way. They had good energy but no, I've never dated." I hadn't realized how close we had gotten but our shoulders were touching and when Isaac turned to look at me we were inches apart.

"I really want to kiss you."

"I'd say go for it, but I left my adrenaline at the house."

"I don't want you to pass out."

"Passing out isn't fun," I admitted. We still hadn't moved yet and I sighed and slid back. "I should probably get back to helping Derek. He has a ton of stuff to read though, not that he'll even notice I'm there. He's being a dick."

"He's stressed."

"We're all stressed."

"Erica and Boyd are leaving."

"What?" I asked. This was brand new information not that I ever really talked to those two, I got the impression Erica didn't like me.

"They're scared of the hunters."

"Are you leaving?" I asked.

"I don't know, I might. How long are you staying around?"

"Maybe a while, maybe not. This is the longest I've stayed anywhere in a long time. I think I'm already getting a little too attached to this place."

"Maybe we can go together," he said.

I smiled. "Yeah, maybe." We walked back to Derek's old house and I resumed my job of reading dusty books.

OoOoO

Three more days of old books and an extremely quiet Derek and I thought I was about to go insane. Isaac hid the snacks from Boyd and Erica. We slipped out every afternoon and Isaac would bribe me with yummy organic food so I'd tell him stories. I'd never told someone this much about my past before, besides Brooke but she'd lived every moment of it with me. Isaac and I walked in the back door. "I'm going to go stick the bag in your car," Isaac said. Derek raised an eyebrow at me and I rolled my eyes.

"You think we don't notice your disapproving looks?" I asked.

"I didn't say anything," he said holding a hand up. I was surprised he actually spoke at all.

"Exactly, it's what you don't say. Don't worry we're being safe," I said. "Since I haven't been carried in here unconscious, I obviously haven't kissed him." He didn't say anything else but went back to his book. "What are we even looking for?" I tried to read a page in old English about; well frankly I had no idea what it was about. I slammed the book closed and Derek actually looked over at me. "I can't take this anymore!" I snapped. Derek didn't say anything, which was probably good because I might have started yelling at him if he had. I walked out the front door and sat down on the ground.

Erica and Boyd walked by and I thought they were going to just ignore me too till Erica stopped and turned to face me. "You ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy." I sighed.

"We're getting out of here tonight. You and Isaac should come with us," Erica said. I was surprised to get an invitation from her. Boyd nodded in agreement.

"We're leaving during the game," Boyd said.

"I'll think about it," I told them. They both nodded and walked inside. Isaac came over a few minutes later.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I stormed out dramatically and then didn't know where else to go."

"I was going to drive by the vet's and talk to Scott; you want to come with me?"

"Yeah sure, I've been meaning to stop by and talk to Dr. Deaton anyways." I got up and we walked to my car. I got in and sighed again. "He's just so infuriating! I know we haven't exactly been best friends but I thought we'd kind of come to an understanding."

"Maybe he'll start acting normal again after things settle down."

"Things will never settle down. I might as well just leave town, there's no point in being here."

We didn't say anything the rest of the way to Dr. Deaton's office. "Do you think he'll have anything new for you?" Isaac asked. We got out of the car and headed towards the front door.

"I don't know, I've been calling all week and I think he's started ignoring me. So probably not, but it can't hurt to check. I mean yeah I know who the werewolves are here but what happens if I go somewhere else and I run into some I don't recognize?" Isaac grabbed the door and held it open for me. Moments after the door opened dogs started barking, it was like the clinic had its own personal werewolf alarm. Scott and Dr. Deaton came out from the back room.

"Oh, it's just you two. Come on back," Dr. Deaton said, motioning us the way he had come from. Isaac and I followed him and he went into the exam room where a fuzzy little dog was lying down. I reached down and petted the dog, it didn't move much and I fell that its energy was way low; it wasn't going to last much longer. Isaac sniffed and made a face.

"Is she going to be alright?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. Dr. Deaton shook his head in response.

"Isaac, can you smell something different?"

"It smells weird," Isaac said.

"After Scott's transformation he suddenly knew if an animal was getting better or not." I scratched the dog's back again, wishing I could control when I gave away my energy. "Come here," Dr. Deaton motioned to Isaac. He stepped around me and I moved to the end of the table. "You know how your abilities can help you but have you ever wondered what they could do for others?" Isaac looked confused but I realized what he was talking about. Dr. Deaton put Isaac's hand on the dog and after a moment his veins turned as black as mine did when I hadn't fed in a while before they went back to normal. I smiled and rubbed the poor little dog again, Isaac had been able to do what I couldn't.

"There does that feel a little better?" I murmured to the puppy. I had met a girl in Texas who had been able to talk to animals, made her an amazing horseback rider, since then I'd always wished I'd been some sort of supernatural that had a nice ability like that, but no I had to end up a demon who couldn't do anything for anyone. "She's feeling better, her energy spiked." Isaac smiled but I could tell he was tearing up, I hardly recognized this guy from the guy I'd danced with at the warehouse. He was so much more than I had ever expected and I was suddenly really glad I'd stayed in town or I'd never gotten to know him.

"Scott, if you don't mind cleaning up in here," Dr. Deaton said. He took the dog and left.

Isaac explained to Scott about how Erica and Boyd planed on leaving tonight. "I want to know if you think I should stay or go."

"Wait, you're asking me for advice?" Scott asked surprised.

Isaac shrugged. "I trust you; you always want to do the right thing."

"I'm staying here," Scott said. He still seemed a little shocked that Isaac was asking him for advice. I still didn't know much about what had happened before I'd gotten into town but I got the impression that Isaac and Scott hadn't exactly been great friends before. "There are people here I care about too much to leave."

Isaac and I glanced at each other. "I'm coming with you if you go," I told him. It was weird to think that in 300 years the only person I had never wanted to leave was my sister, until now.

"Ava, can I speak with you for a moment?" Dr. Deaton asked stepping into the room.

"Yeah, sure."

I followed Dr. Deaton back out to the waiting room. "I know you're considering leaving soon but I think I might have found something to help fix your problem."

"Really?" I asked surprised.

"An herbal remedy that I've heard about from a friend of mine. It will take me a few days to prepare it and I don't know if there are side effects-"

"I'll try anything."

"I'll see what I can do about getting it sent to you."

"Wait, you know people who know other succubi?" I asked.

"My friend Peg lives in a private community full of supernatural creatures of different kinds."

"That sounds amazing! I bet the Council approves," I said.

"They're the ones who created it," Dr. Deaton said. I wasn't surprised he knew about the Council, he seemed to know about everything.

"Makes since, mainstreaming is practically a crime to them." I glanced back into the exam room where Isaac and Scott were talking.

"Go on, I'll have the medicine for you as soon as possible." I nodded and started to walk out. "And Ava? Maybe you should think about that community, it might be good for you."

"Maybe," I said.


	5. Chapter 5

I was flipping through books absently, not paying attention unless they mentioned one of the key words I'd been looking out for. I opened the cover an old brown book and gasped at the dedication page: "For my daughters Evelyn and Bridget Bates."

"What?" Derek asked. He was at my side in a second.

"It's nothing. I mean nothing about what we're looking for. It's about me," I told him.

"Evelyn and Bridget?"

"Those were me and my sister's names in the late 1800s. Our mother was a writer, she mostly wrote about supernatural beings. It wasn't really your typical Victorian era literature." I flipped the book shut to look at the cover. "_Unnatural Things and their Natural Order_" by Maurine Bates. "Actually, there might be something in here. I remember this one, I think."

"Didn't you read it back then?"

"Not really, I wasn't always this interested in books." I opened it up and started flipping through it. There were chapters on just about every kind a supernatural being. I stopped when I reached the chapter on succubi. I flipped through the basics, every chapter started with information like their life span and diet. Then the chapter moved into legends and other stories that weren't as widely accepted. One of them caught my eye; it was something that Maurine had told us many times, like a bed time story.

Derek pointed at one of the illustrations, four items which were talked about in the paragraph below them. "What are those?"

"The four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann," I told him. He gave me a look that said he had no idea what I was talking about. "Before the modern people of Ireland settled, there was a group of people known as the Tuatha Dé Danann; supposedly they were the descendants of the goddess Danu. They came from four cities in the North of Ireland – Falias, Gorias, Finias, and Murias. They were trained in magic arts and when they migrated they brought with them magical tools from each of their four cities. From Falias came the stone of Fál or Lia Fáil, the stone was said to contain the spirits of Celtic goddesses and it was able to tell who the rightful king would be and it could heal those who touched it among other things."

"That's this one," he said pointing out the drawing of a large straight stone.

"It's still in Ireland on the Hill of Tara. The spear of Lug," I said tapping the next picture "came from Gorias. It rendered its wielder unbeatable. The third artifact was the sword of Núadu from the city of Finias, once drawn no one could escape its wrath."

"Sounds like my kind of weapon."

I rolled my eyes. "I would love to see you take up sword fighting. That would be quite entertaining."

"You don't think I could handle stabbing someone?"

"It's cute that you think it's that easy. I doubt you have enough balance or coordination."

"But if it is inescapable, then it would have to make me look good," he reasoned.

"I think it would make an exception for you. Anyways, moving on." I looked at the fourth artifact. The paragraph on this one was considerably longer than the others and there were notes scribbled in the margins, in a very familiar hand. "This was my sister's book."

"What?"

"That's Brooke's handwriting. She was reading this and she was making notes. The fourth treasure was the Cauldron of the Dagda from Murias. It had the ability to grant the every wish of the person drinking from it; it never sends the person away unsatisfied. Basically it can do anything you could ever possibly think of; heal, cleanse, resurrect. You can only use it once though. It will fix every problem you have at that exact moment but you'll never be able to use it again. If someone were to have it, they better be sure of the thing they want to use it for."

"Why do you think your sister was so interested in it?" He asked.

"I don't know." I ran my fingers over her faded writing, a Triskelion had been drawn and redrawn so many times in the same spot it was still easily seen. "Before she died she said something to me, about thinking there was a way to rewind the circle of life. She thought there was a way to move between the points, go from demon to human. She wanted to be human more than anything."

"You don't believe it's true."

"No, I mean we were born demons. We were never human to begin with, there's nothing to go back to. Unless…we do believe in reincarnation. I never thought of it like that before, that we were ever more or less than we are now, but that's how Hinduism and other religions understand it. You go through different stages, and every time you're a little different than you were before. It's possible that in a past life I was a human, or maybe we have the order off and demon is first followed by human instead of being last."

"If the cauldron really does what it's said to do, couldn't you just drink from it and let it cure you?"

"Technically, but there are tons of rules about how magic works. I never learned all of them because I wasn't allowed to practice because of what I am. I believe though that magic can only work with what is already given, transformation not creation. There can never be more than there already is; it's just 16th century Conservation of Mass. But if this is right, and we were human once, then it _is_ there. Which means, yeah, it should work."

"So where is it?"

"That's the real problem. Besides the rock, no one has seen any of the artifacts in centuries. Not to mention that to perform a spell like that you need to do it on the mid day of the month of Bright Time. If you want to make sure something good comes out of that, magic is unpredictable."

"When is that?"

"May 31st."

"You're kidding."

I shook my head. "I have two weeks to find the cauldron and perform a ritual that most likely hasn't even been thought about in hundreds of years."

OoOoO

"Have you thought about it?" Isaac asked. It was getting late. We were sitting out front cross legged in the grass.

"I can't leave; Deaton has something he thinks could cure me. Not permanently I don't think, but help I guess."

"Then I'll stay too."

"There's something else. When Derek and I were looking through the books earlier I found one of my mother's books. It was my sister's copy and she had made notes in it about a cauldron. I think-I think it might be able to cure me. Permanently."

"Permanently as in you won't be a succubus anymore?"

"That's the idea."

"You would do that?" He asked.

"It's what Brooke wanted."

"But is that what _you _want?"

I pulled a piece of grass out of the ground and rolled it between my fingers. "My entire life has been controlled by what I am. I had to be separate from everything and everyone. How is that living? I could live forever but if I can't really live, what's the point?"

"And this is where you would want to spend your human life?" He asked.

"I've never felt closer to a group of people, not since Brooke and my parents. If I was going to choose some place to be human, it would be here."

"Then I'll help you, what do you need?"

"I need to find a cauldron that's been missing for centuries." I explained everything about the Tuatha Dé Danann and the ritual.

"Do you have any idea where it could be?"

"Ireland," I said shrugging.

"I may not be the best student, and I know Ireland isn't the largest country, but I don't think you'll be able to search the entire island in two weeks."

"Yeah I know, I think I'm going to need to do some more research."

He stood up and held out a hand. "Come on, what are you waiting on?"

When we went back inside, we found Derek was no longer looking through books, instead he was reading an article intently. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Looking for the cauldron," he told me. "Come here, look at this." Isaac and I walked over and Derek shifted so I could read the screen. "Everything I've been reading says this is your best bet at the real thing. It's in one of those hills that everyone is obsessed with."

"They're burial mounds, not hills," I corrected him.

"Yeah, that thing, it's one called Knowth."

"How do I get there?" I asked. He googled the area and found a visitors center.

"It doesn't look like you're allowed inside. All I'm finding is guided tours of the site and a replica of the cauldron in the visitor center."

"A replica is not going to cut it. I need to get inside. Luckily I know a way to blend in, so to speak."

"Is that a good idea?" Derek asked.

"It's the best idea I have."

"What if it isn't the right thing?" Isaac asked.

"I don't have much of a choice do I? If it's wrong, the spell won't work. I'll just have to keep looking; I'll have a full year to find the real thing."

"Do you even know the spell?" Isaac asked.

"Still have two weeks for that. Who wants to go to Ireland?"

OoOoO

Later that afternoon we found another box of Brooke's books. "Where did you find all of these?" I asked Derek.

"My sister had them, I don't know why."

"They're extremely helpful. Brooke was so close to figuring out the spell before she died. With all these notes I barely have to do any of my own work, which is great seeing as I've never cast a spell in my entire life."

"I want to go with you."

"Isaac is going with me, we already discussed this."

"Isaac is a kid," Derek said.

"Compared to me, so are you."

"You know what I mean."

"Scott and the others need you here. There's a Kanima on the loose, a bunch of psycho hunters, oh and not to mention the fact that half your pack is leaving you. You need to be here."

"If something happens to you-"

"Derek, you do not have the right to be worried about me. I let you in and you basically blew me off for two weeks, Isaac is the only one around here who has consistently cared about what happened to me. I'm taking him with me and that's the end of that discussion. Now, if you'll excuse me Lydia invited me over to get ready for the big game."

"I want to be there when you become human," Derek said.

"I'll still be human when I get back."

OoOoO

When I got to Lydia's, she opened the door before I had the chance to knock. "Good, you're here. I invited Allison but she canceled on me last minute. I don't know what her problem is; she's barely talked to me these last few weeks."

"The less the merrier?" I offered.

"You're right, who says we can't have fun without her? Come on, I have the cutest dress for you, and you have to help me pick my shoes." She pulled me up stairs and started shoving clothing into my arms. "Try that skirt on and if that doesn't fit you can try this dress. Unless you aren't into dresses, that's totally cool. We can find some super cute jeans and a top or something. Why'd you say you didn't have your clothes again?"

"Moving van lost some boxes," I lied.

"That sucks majorly." She shooed me into the bathroom to change. The first outfit she gave me was a dark purple skirt a white ruffled top and a black motto jacket. I put it all on and went back into her room. She tossed some leopard printed booties at me without looking and I put them on. She turned and nodded. "Go try the dress on."

I went and changed again, into a dress with a back top and red high-low skirt. When I exited she groaned. "What?"

"You might as well keep both of those outfits. Once people see you in them they'll forget I ever looked cute in them. Wear the skirt to the game though, it looks more casual."

"But it's not the right color," I told her.

"Sporting events are not about team pride, they are about looking hot and making sure everyone notices us."

I shrugged. "I guess so."

When I came out of the bathroom she had changed into her outfit, we color coordinated. "So we'll look good in selfies," she explained. "Allison had the cutest lavender and navy romper, but like I said, she blew me off."

"I'm sure she'll get everything sorted out soon." As much as I knew about Allison's part with the hunters, I did hope that she would still remain friends with Lydia, for Lydia's sake.

"Whatever, she was getting old anyways. Beacon Hills has a new new-girl now. So, are you dating that Isaac guy?" She asked.

"Oh, we're just friends right now," I told her.

"For right now," she repeated. "I definitely see a relationship in your future. I approve, I used to think he was a freak but lately he's gotten this super cool bad boy thing going on, I must say it is pretty hot."

I laughed. "I can't deny that."

"What about Derek?" She asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Oh I've been poking around, checking with Scott and Stiles. They seem to think you and Derek are pretty close. Sorry if that seems like a violation of your privacy, but I have to be careful who my friends are. You understand."

"Of course. But there isn't anything going on with me and Derek."

"Good, he's weird and creepy and definitely too old for you. If he tries something on you, tell me and I'll make sure he knows not to mess with the friends of Lydia Martin. Ok?"

"Ok." I laughed, if only she knew the whole story.


	6. Chapter 6

An hour later we were sitting in the stands. We slid into the seats next to Scott's mom and Stiles's dad. Melissa smiled at me a little, she had seen me fight the Kanima at the police station and she clearly wasn't sure how to react to me sitting here like a normal person.

"Oh my god, Stiles is in the game!" Lydia said.

"Isn't it great?" Sheriff Stilinski shouted over the noise of the crowd.

"How's he doing?" I asked.

"Well, he knows which direction to run," he told me.

"He'll get the hang of it," I assured him. We watched the game, one by one Beacon Hills players continued to get hurt. I saw Jackson tackle Isaac and when Jackson moved Isaac didn't stand up. "I need to go down there," I told Lydia. She nodded and I ran down the bleachers towards the field. By the time I had pushed my way through the crowd, Isaac had already been carted off to the locker room. When I got into the building I could hear noises. Gerard and at least one other hunter had Isaac cornered against the sink. I slid the door open quietly and stepped inside without alerting them to my presence.

There was a hand on my back and I jumped. "Shh," Scott whispered. I pointed towards the other end of the locker room and he nodded. I still didn't know if I could trust Scott in the big picture but I was pretty sure he wasn't going to let Gerard kill Isaac. I walked down the opposite wall so Scott and I had the three hunters surrounded. Right before Gerard could raise his sword; Scott leaped out from behind the lockers and grabbed one of the hunters. I didn't have any weapons but I managed to shove the other hunter into the wall knocking him out.

"Where's Gerard?" I asked.

"He must have gotten away," Scott said. "You stay here with Isaac and I'll go look for Gerard." I nodded. Scott left and I knelt down next to Isaac.

"Thank god you're alright," I mumbled.

"It's a good thing you two got here when you did," he said stiffly. When Jackson tackled Isaac he must have scratched him and paralyzed him.

"We're getting out of here tomorrow. Whatever happens here won't be our problem until we get back."

OoOoO

"Stiles is missing," Scott said coming into the locker room after the game. "Isaac, are you feeling good enough to help look for him."

"Yeah, I'm good."

"We get on a plane in ten hours," I told him.

"Then you have ten hours to help me find him," Scott said.

"Stiles is a lovely guy, from what I can tell, I was under house arrest for the last week, but he isn't my problem," I told Scott.

"Ava, you have to help. Gerard could have taken him," Isaac said.

"Fine, I'll help you look tonight. But I'm getting on the plane tomorrow morning, with or without you."

OoOoO

By the next morning Stiles had been found. He was claiming that a few guys from the other team had beaten him up but Scott, Isaac and I knew better. "Heard you didn't want to rescue me, Bates," Stiles said.

"I'm glad you're ok," I told him.

"So you aren't denying it?" He asked.

"This whole idea of friends is a little new to me, ok? Cut me some slack."

"That's actually pretty sad," he said.

"Shut up, Stilinski."

"Scott was telling me something about a plane, you leaving us already?"

"I'll be back; hopefully I'll be a changed person. I mean that in the most literal sense." I checked my phone. "Isaac, we should go if we're going to catch our flight."

"I can't go," Isaac said.

"What?" I asked confused.

"They need me here to help with Gerard."

"Then I'll stay too. It's dangerous, they could use me too."

He shook his head. "You need to go. This is something you need to do. I'll still be here when you get back, and so will Derek."

"I feel like you're trying to say something that I'm not hearing."

"I just think you need a little bit of time to think about what you want, past becoming human."

"Alright, whatever, I've been on my own long enough. What are a few more weeks of alone, right?"

"Ava, wait-"

"No, it's fine, really. I'll see you later." I turned away from him. "I really am glad you're ok, Stiles." I hugged him and then Scott quickly. "Make sure that there is still a town for me to come back to, or this is going to be a huge mistake."

OoOoO

When I reached the airport at eight in the morning I went to the check in counter. "What's the name?" The woman behind the counter asked.

"Ava Bates," I told her.

"Party of two, final destination Dublin?" She checked.

"Just one."

She nodded and took my passport to scan. "You can leave your luggage there," she motioned to the scale and I slid my suitcase onto the platform. "Have a nice trip."

I went upstairs and waited for my flight to be called. I kept watching the stairs. Part of me was still hoping for Isaac to come running up them, realizing he had made a mistake staying behind and getting his ticket just in time for takeoff. "Flight 772 to Dublin International airport is now boarding first class passengers." I grabbed my jacket and went the gate. I couldn't help myself from glancing over my shoulder one final time before boarding the plane. But of course he wasn't there, I was alone. I was always alone.

OoOoO

The week and a half leading up to the ritual was spent acquiring the tools I would need to cast my spell and also scouting the location. I had mastered the illusion of one of the tour guides so I would be able to get to the site. My plan was to leave the group with a projection while I broke into the mound. Once inside I didn't much care that my projection would probably be erased, leaving the tourists very confused as to why they were suddenly alone. I mapped out everything, I toured the site twice so I could listen to the guides tell me about the pathways inside and visited the visitors center even more than that to watch the exploration videos into the Eastern chamber and take a good look at the replica of the cauldron.

One afternoon, the day before my ritual, I was examining the replica again, when one of the workers approached me. "Hello, my name is Alexander. I've seen you here a few days this week. I rarely see someone so interested in Knowth. Are you a historian?"

"You could say that."

"Do you know the story of the Tuatha Dé Danann?" He asked then laughed. "I'm sure you do."

"Of course."

"Out of all the treasures this one is the most intriguing, isn't it? Sure a sword that never fails and a rock that knows the true king are interesting but a cauldron that "never leaves its user unsatisfied"? What does that even mean?"

"It means an end to all of this," I told him. I turned and left. I had twenty four hours; it was time to begin preparations.

OoOoO

When I reached the site with my tour group, it was small thankfully. I set up a projection carefully. It wasn't difficult, though it was more or less on autopilot. I didn't think this group would ask any questions, most of them looked half asleep. They would probably be glad to be released when their guide disappeared.

I walked to the gate and slipped under the rope and into the eastern passage. The passage couldn't have been more than three feet wide and barely taller than that. I had to crawl along on my hands and knees. After I'd gone about halfway to the center obstructions arose and I had to lie even lower down to fit through the passage. Past that there was a taller passage and I thought I was almost to the chamber when the passage shrunk again. The floor here was littered with stones that hurt my knees and palms to crawl over, but it would all be worth it when I found what I was looking for. Finally I found the entrance into the eastern chamber.

Everything I read had explained the mound was built on two tiers and the open spaces were built on top of the passageways. I hefted myself up into the upper tier and walked along until it came to a halt. I flashed my light around looking for the open space into the niche where the cauldron was hidden. The room I was in was a huge spacious thing and I was in awe of the architecture. Finally I located the hole and jumped down about six feet, I didn't think much about how I would get back out after I lost my super human abilities but I wasn't worried.

There were four recesses and I flashed my light inside until I found the one I was looking for. I could feel the magic and I knew this was the place; the real cauldron of Dagda was in this very cave. It looked just like the replica but unlike the fake this one emitted power beyond anything I'd ever felt before. I tossed by bag to the ground and knelt beside it. I pulled out the candles and set them in the four directions around the cauldron and grabbed my notebook where I had transferred all of Brooke's notes about the spell.

"I consecrate this circle of power to the ancient Gods. Here may they manifest and bless their child." I turned towards the east. "This is a time that is not a time, in a place that is not a place, on a day that is not a day. I stand at the threshold between the worlds, before the veil of the Mysteries. May the ancient ones help and protect me on my magical journey." I called the elements as was written in Brooke's book on casting a circle. Then I flipped to the next page where I had written down Brooke's spell specific to the cauldron. I bit my lip, I hopped that she had gotten this right.

"Candle of magic, be my charm. Sustain my spell and do no harm. Hear these words of rhyme as chanted, may my wish with haste be granted. By turn of one, the curse is done. Turn back time and past rewind; fix the clock that makes design. By turn of two, its power is through. By turn of three, it ceases to be. Break the cycle, all be free. This is my will, so mote it be." A light of the candles brightened and I shut my eyes then suddenly they all went out. I tried to stand up but instead stumbled and hit my head on the stone cauldron. Everything went black.

OoOoO

"Ava," Brooke called. "Come on, we're going to be late."

"Late for what?" I asked.

"Late for life, you boring old hag."

"Um, ouch?"

"Oh come on, you know I'm only kidding. You're just as lovely as you were a few hundred years ago. Not that you'll stay that way for much longer."

"What?"

"You'll get old now, silly. Oh it's going to be great, you can settle down with one of those lovely werewolves and-"

"Brooke-"

"Oh don't try to deny it. I know you only did this for them."

"Brooke, what do I do now?" I asked.

"Oh well I suppose you have a choice to make. I can't help you with that one," she said shrugging.

"You mean I have to choose between Derek and Isaac?"

"Obviously you can't keep them both. They're both very eligible bachelors, someone is bound to snatch one of them up eventually. I wouldn't want to let that someone make your choice for you." She laughed. "I remembered something else I needed to tell you, mom wants you to remember to help your family."

"My family is dead," I reminded her.

"You can have more than one kind of family."

OoOoO

When I woke up I was alone in a room. "Hello?" I called.

The guide from earlier came into the room. "Oh good, you're awake. It's Alexander, from the visitor's center? You certainly gave us all quite a fright. You're lucky one of the tourists saw you go into the tunnels and alerted a guard. You could have died down there."

"Did it work?" I asked.

"Did what work?" He asked.

I glanced at my wrist, the branded Triskelion was gone. "Oh my god." I pulled Alexander towards me and kissed him. I waited for the usual transfer of energy to happen. "It worked." I stood up.

"Whoa, you need to sit back down. You hit your head pretty hard."

"No, I don't. I need to get back to California."


End file.
